Sovereign
by Mslead-Kytrin
Summary: Growing up was never easy, especially when you were a 400 year old demon trapped in a child's body. Puberty was going to suck. END!fic. Pre-NALU.
1. Tyrant

_**Hello everyone! Mslead here to bring you a special update from Kytrin and myself! This was a discontinued long-fic we were working on before we started Reset. Because of the similar basis the stories took, we decided to trim this fic down to a three-shot since we still liked the idea and direction it was taking. So here is Sovereign redone as a three-shot. This fic is already completed, I just wanted to get this up and posted for everyone's enjoyment!**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE  
**

 _ **Tyrant**_

 _ _"Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always."  
― Mahatma Gandhi _ _

* * *

In the pit of Tartaros, End was bored. Actually, as Mard Geer droned on and on, he decided bored was an understatement. Why did he have to deal with every single minor detail of the council's agenda anyway? Who cared if some of the lesser demons had decided to build a village on some island? As long as they weren't causing trouble for the rest of them what difference did it make?

Unfortunately, his 'advisor' was of the opinion that he needed to know every intimate detail. And those details had to be delivered in the most monotone way possible.

End shifted in his seat, restless by the lack of motion. The helmet he wore which guarded his face was heavy, and the visor which shielded his eyes obscured parts of his vision. A thick cape was draped over his shoulders, specified for council meetings in his war room, but End didn't care much for it. In fact the whole get-up hindered his movements and made it difficult for him to work. However for the cost of his privacy, End would gladly suffer through the hard to see visor, cape, and other obscuring details on his face. His council and legion did not need to know what their King looked like.

But seriously, if Mardy didn't shut up soon he was either going to take a nap or set something on fire just for the fun of it. Either option was preferable to listening to him prattle any more.

Hell, he could even play around with Lullaby some. That would be amusing. The little flute was always good for a laugh. Especially when he got so mad over how he was played.

A wicked little smirk curled his lips as he recalled the last time, and how he'd laid waste to an entire village with farting noises.

"Sire, are you listening?"

He glanced over at Mard Geer and yawned, "No, not really."

The plant demon's expression darkened, "Sire! This is important..."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever... lesser demons made a village on some dumb island. Who the hell cares?" He snorted dismissively, "It's not like they're strong enough to cause problems to anyone but humans."

He watched Mardy's mouth flap wordlessly open, his eyes wide as he regarded his king with shock bordering on offense.

END's face was mostly shielded from the sight of his lesser demon, but Mard Geer could no doubt see the grin curling up and over his lips.

"But m'lord END, this is flagrant insolence to your rule!" His advisor protested uselessly, "they should be punished!"

A huff of air escaped him, and he leaned back in his chair. He stroked a finger along the thick, shiny surface of his conference table. His finger drew a burning line over the wood, carving easily into the surface.

"On whose authority?" He questioned. Mard Geer couldn't see his eyes, but he no doubt could feel the way his gaze boiled and burned. Annoyance, creeping on anger was beginning to assert itself.

He was END, Master of Tartaros and King to all demons.

He did not take his orders, or dismissals, being ignored kindly.

Mard Geer detected the warning signs, and bowed his head in submission, "Yours, of course m'lord." He replied hastily, not eager to feel that burning wrath descend on him, "My concern was merely that you had not given them leave to form their own village."

"I didn't deny it either." END rumbled dangerously, "And as long as they stay out of our hair, I don't really care where they choose to settle."

"Yes... of course sire." Mard Geer replied haltingly, and he could practically taste the plant demon's distaste, and his fire flexed in response with a heat that had to be borderline painful.

"Then that's the end of it." He growled softly, enjoying the slightly pained look on Mardy's face under the force of his flames.

He left the heat going for a long minute before pulling it back, satisfied his warning had been heeded, and relaxed back into his chair, "Now, is there anything _important_ I need to know about?"

Mard Geer and the other assembled Etherious glanced at each other before one slid a scroll over to him, "Just the tally of the loot from our latest attack sire."

He picked the scroll up and unfurled it with a delighted grin. Humans generally didn't have much, but sometimes they had interesting things lying around, and their livestock was always fun to eat. Maybe there would be something in there that could keep Mardy occupied for a while? He knew very well that the stuck up bastard wanted his throne, and if he was starting to push his boundaries, even over little things, then maybe it was time to give him something to chase his tail over.

On the list there seemed to be basic trinkets and gold, nothing of which truly caught his attention.

However, just as his eyes were about to skim over what had unfortunately seemed to be nothing of consequence, a sudden idea sprang to his mind.

His eyes dragged over a collection of books, no doubt once having belonged to someone who enjoyed them.

Well, he could make ample use of them. And get Mard Geer's puffed up attitude a true measure.

"Nothing interesting!" He dismissed with a grin and rolled up the scroll, pushing it away.

He rose from the table, his demons following suit just a moment later, following after his lead. End did not miss how quickly Mard Geer had also risen.

"You all are dismissed," he waved a bored hand. But his attention snapped towards his advisor, "Except for you. Come take a walk with me Mard Geer."

He didn't wait for the demon to fall into step next to him as he headed out of the room. He knew Mardy would be there as soon as he caught up. The other demon was always really good about showing off his status as the King's right hand. The only one allowed to be even relatively equal to him.

He repressed a snort at that. As if the plant bastard could actually be his equal. There was a _reason_ he'd held onto his throne beyond Zeref's backing.

He let the silence drag on as he led Mard Geer out to the 'uninteresting' pile of loot, and began idly flipping through the gold and books. It was a habit of his to inspect their prizes even if he didn't find them valuable or interesting just in case something caught his eye in person. And today was no exception.

He carefully hid his grin as he picked up a book, ignoring Mard Geer's slightly impatient shuffling behind him. This was perfect.

"May I inquire as to what you wish to speak about sire?" Mard Geer finally asked when the silence had stretched on too long.

End barely restrained the urge to huff out a laugh. He was glad his headpiece prevented any sight of his eyes otherwise Mardy would immediately notice something was amiss.

"You may!" He drawled out the last word, tongue rolling over it as if tasting it in his mouth.

"Mard Geer, do you know why I chose for us to raid that town?" Boredom. It was definitely boredom.

His advisor looked unsure though, and End enjoyed watching him squirm.

"To expand your influence over the human swine and gain wealth?" He hesitated on his guess.

End barked out a laugh.

"You think I'm interested in their trinkets? Their baubles?" He really was. Humans made the coolest stuff sometimes, but his advisor didn't need to know that.

"I have been after this," he lifted the book he plucked from the stash up to his face, "my greatest weakness."

He had to force back a cackle as Mard Geer's eyes widened at the sight of the massive book with his name on it.

"Your book sire?" The plant demon breathed in awe, not daring to so much as twitch his fingers in its direction, "I was unaware you _had_ one. How did a bunch of human insects get their hands on it?"

End couldn't contain his snort at Mardy's immediate conclusion, and hoped his advisor didn't pick up on the amusement under it, "Who knows?" He replied, "The point is they _did_ and I had to get it back."

Yeah. Right. As if a bunch of non-magical humans could get their hands on any of the books in Zeref's library. His would be especially impossible since it didn't _exist_. Zeref was an asshole, but he was a _genius_ asshole at least. And he'd ensured that his greatest demon couldn't be defeated by something as common as an external weakness like a book.

But Mardy didn't need to know that.

"I see." Mard Geer replied slowly, "What will you do with it now Master End?"

End smirked at the perfect opening as he made a pretense of brushing some of the dirt off it, subtly casting a mild curse as he did, and held it out to Mard Geer.

"M'lord?" The plant demon squeaked in surprised confusion, and End's smirk widened.

"I want you to hold onto it." He purred, "If anything happens to me this is the only way to bring me back."

Also the smell of fertilizer would follow him around for quite a while. The book END, really stood for "environment, nature, and duty" or some such nonsense. It was about farming.

"The book cannot be opened by any force or strength, only in the absence of magic will cause mine to spill from the pages," End lied, coming up with some false plan on the spot.

Really, the plan was genius. Mard Geer had his "book," which meant if he so much as made a toe out of line to overthrow End, it would be found out immediately.

It's care would have to soak up all of his advisor's attention, negligence if any kind would be grounds for death.

And End was itching for a reason to put Mard Geer in the ground.

"Such an honor," his advisor prattled on, his face sheet white and hands shaking.

End tuned out the rest of his words, soaking up instead the nervous flickering in Mardy's eyes. The cold sweat over his face filled him with glee.

Oh yes.

He always loved a good prank. Maybe End would make him hold onto it for only a decade.

Before he could think on it any longer, however, a deafening roar shattered the air above them. End whipped his head up in surprise, and narrowed his eyes.

"Igneel." He growled darkly as the familiar shape appeared in the distance. The fire dragon king and he had come to blows often over the course of their little war, but so far neither had been able to best the other. They'd fought to a standstill, and only retreated when neither could continue.

Except, this time, it didn't look like Igneel intended to play by their usual rules.

Dragon after dragon appeared in the skies around Tartaros, and End felt a surge of annoyance that they'd managed to get so close without any kind of warning.

"Get the defenses up!" He snarled as he spread his wings, "I want those dragons with Igneel dealt with!"

"What of Igneel himself?" Mard Geer asked, and End bared his fangs as he took off.

"I'll deal with the dragon king myself."

-::-

As it turned out, dealing with the dragon king was not a simple task when Igneel was a _dirty cheating bastard_.

Blood pooled down the side of End's head, his helm shattered along the side if his head and exposing matted down locks of pink hair. They were sticky with blood, and one furious eye glared out at the dragon from behind his visor.

Igneel's grip on him was tight, crushingly so which allowed no room for End to even wiggle a finger.

He had been pinned down, a nasty team up with a human sorceress and the dragons he hadn't seen coming. Humans and dragons working together, it was embarrassing for a king like Igneel.

He recognized the woman who had remained cleverly hidden until she struck, caging him with the weight and power of the heavenly stars themselves.

They weren't nearly enough to trap him. Not permanently, but it had been enough for Igneel to strike. Already he could feel the dragon attempting to root around in his mind, using his memory altering magic to bend End to his will.

He and the wretch, Anna.

When he got out of this, he would destroy every last one of her line.

"Igneel... I cannot hold him much longer." Anna said through gritted teeth, "If he cannot be brought under control then you must use it. Now."

Igneel never took his eyes away from End, his expression matching End's glare for glare, "Very well."

End renewed his struggles the moment the pressure from Igneel's mind eased, and he bared his fangs at both of them, "You think you can beat me permanently?" He demanded furiously, "I'm the demon king!"

"Not for much longer." Igneel rumbled as he dropped a heavy foreclaw on End's chest and began to softly chant.

End couldn't understand what he was saying, but he squirmed under the weight as he felt tendrils of magic licking at his skin and wrapping around him. Like a cocoon. Were they planning to try and smother him? Idiots. There was no way that could work!

That wasn't their plan though.

As the cocoon grew, and tightened, around him End could feel his strength begin to drain. This was expected. What wasn't expected was the disorienting sensation that he was falling despite already being on the ground, and the feeling of his clothes getting looser. Were they shrinking him?

He felt his helmet completely fall off as both Igneel and Anna got larger, and tried to glare at them both hard enough to set them on fire as his world continued to shrink until the cocoon of magic obscured his vision and he lost all sense of time.

The magic sank into his lungs, leaching through his very being as he felt that tendril of magic sneak within the heat of his magic and pluck something out.

He let out a cry of agony as his magic seemed to evaporate away, lashing violent against his body as it fought to stay with its master. But his body sagged down no matter how he tried to move, weakened limbs kicking out uselessly as sleep forced itself onto his mind.

And he heard Igneel's voice whisper in his ear, murmuring quiet words to make him forget.

But even as he fell through the haze, body giving up the fight where his spirit railed against it... End refused to forget.

It seemed like he was trapped in the cocoon forever, his body immobile.

Only when it was torn open by one black, shiny claw, did he manage to squint through the blinding light.

A bubble of panic and fear shot through him, blinking wide eyes at the face of a dragon staring down at him.

End sucked in a breath, his mouth opening. To demand Igneel to finish him and be done with it...

When the dragon king beat him to the punch.

"Don't be afraid hatchling," he rumbled kindly.

End stared at him in confusion, and involuntarily flinched a little when one of the claws flexed towards him a little. They were much bigger now, and they frightened him more than he'd ever dreamed they could.

"It's alright." Igneel soothed, "I'm not going to hurt you."

He laid his foreclaw out palm up and wriggled his claws a little, "See?" He grinned, "Nothing to be afraid of."

End opened his mouth to retort, but what escaped was a childish giggle.

His eyes widened and he slapped his hand over his mouth in horror that both Igneel and Anna seemed to misinterpret as fear. The blond woman knelt next to him and smiled.

"You have a wonderful laugh little one." She cooed gently, and against his will something in him melted at the soft smile of a mother, "Don't be afraid to let us hear it."

She tore off a part of her own dress and slowly crept forward, probably to avoid scaring him, "Now, let me just bandage up that wound of yours and we'll get you out of here. Tartaros is no place for a child."

 _What?_

Before End could blink she was at his side, well within easy striking distance, and expertly bandaging the very head wound they'd given him earlier in the fight. His surprise was so great that he actually sat still as he tried to process this bizarre turn of events.

What the hell did they think they were doing?

But her words caught up to him a split second later, just as she finished tying off the gash on his head. A child? They thought he was-...?

He made to stand up, to move, do anything, but froze at the sight of his helmet.

The shiny surface reflected back at him, and END slowly reached a small hand up to touch a hand through soft pink hair and the strip of fabric Anna had used to bandage him up.

"I-I don't understand," End hated the soft tremble of confusion in his voice, but he really wasn't able to control it. It was as if all of his emotions were brought up to the surface, a childish mind the cause of it.

He felt weak, too weak to fight them. He couldn't even feel the sparks of his demonic flames. He could still feel them burning in him...

But it was like they were floating within him, ungrounded.

Anna snuck her hands under his tiny arms and End let out a surprised squeak as she picked him out from the wreckage and cradled him in her arms. The insolence! How dare she lay her filthy hands on him after reducing him to such a sorry state!

But she ran her fingers through his hair, curling him to her chest and humming softly, "It's okay little one. I know you're confused, you probably don't remember much, but we're here for you."

End tried to flail indignantly, but the feel of her fingers running through his hair pulled all kinds of instincts he hadn't even realized he had to the surface, and he couldn't stop himself from melting into her touch.

It was an action that would cost him as Anna took that opening to climb into Igneel's claws. Before he realized it the dragon had made a loose fist around them and had lifted off the ground. End heard him roar a retreat, but he didn't care as Anna's magic fingers continued to distract him.

It wouldn't be until much later, when he woke up in a cozy forest nest, that he would even realize he'd been kidnapped away from Tartaros and his throne. By his two greatest enemies. The same enemies who now viewed him as an innocent child, and seemed determined to raise him.

* * *

 _ **That's it for chapter one! Let us know what you think about this idea so far! Reminder this is just going to be a THREE-SHOT. Hope you liked this idea of ours! Expect another update here soon!**_


	2. King

**Sorry for the late update guys! I (Mslead) was out of state! So here is your next chapter of Sovereign! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You'll have lots of fun stuff in store soon! This is technically the 'last' chapter of this two-shot, but you get an extra chapter as kind of a wrap up epilogue. :D Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2**

 ** _King_**

 _"For surely a king is first a man. And so it must follow that a king does as all men do: the best he can."_  
 _― Cameron Dokey_

* * *

"Natsu!" Igneel rumbled, prodding him with his nose, "Wake up! It's time for breakfast!"

End, or _Natsu_ as he was called now, whined a little at the interruption to his sleep and shot Igneel a grumpy look that the dragon only laughed at.

"None of that now!" The dragon said _far_ too cheerfully as he pulled away, "Get dressed. We have an entire deer this morning."

Meaning _he_ had an entire deer to eat. In the weeks since he'd been brought here, wherever here was, Igneel had made certain that there was plenty of food for him. Though it was clear the dragon was still thinking in terms of a dragon sized appetite, at least it was better than going hungry.

End - Natsu, still didn't know how he felt about everything that was thought his enemies were quite foolish to even try and raise him, and thus far Natsu had his fun with being an unholy terror for both Igneel and Anna.

But as much as he enjoyed driving his enemies up the wall with absolutely petty revenge, he was being well behaved for the most part.

Well for him.

He slung himself out of the bed and dragged his legs over to Igneel. Slumping all over his caretaker's foreclaw, he yawned out the rest of his sleep.

He wanted the dragon and sorceress to trust him. Raise him as they would a child and grow unspeakably attached to him.

Natsu would take advantage of that kindness and destroy them.

It would take him a while to regain his strength enough for him to land a killing stroke on either of them, but Natsu had no choice but to be patient. He felt his demonic magic within, but it burned him every time he made a grasp for it. This body couldn't sustain the might of his power.

Natsu looked up, seeing Anna already by the fire. He wandered over to her, stumbling over his small, uncoordinated feet to nest himself by her side.

Immediately she carded her fingers through his hair and Natsu smiled dreamily.

He may be plotting her death, but she gave amazing head scratches. End's one weakness.

"Good morning Natsu." Anna smiled at him, pleased at the way he responded to her head scratches if nothing else, "Are you hungry? I brought you a few treats today."

Bribery. Natsu cracked an eye open lazily as she pulled a picnic basket around into his viewable range, and he perked up at the delightful scents that poured from it even with the cover on. Mostly his diet consisted of meat thanks to Igneel, but Anna had insisted early on that he get variety, and made a point of bringing it whenever she visited.

Which, actually, he didn't mind. Meat was all well and good, but humans made the most amazing foods. He'd actually begun to think that when he got back to Tartaros he might have to capture a few human cooks for that express purpose.

Anna chuckled at his reaction and pulled the cover off the basket, "Help yourself little one."

Natsu grinned and wasted no time as he pounced on the contents, eagerly taking a big bite out of some sweet pastry thing with fruit.

"Thish 's good!" He mumbled around his mouthful of food, and immediately got a gentle tap on the head with one of Igneel's claws.

"Manners Natsu." The dragon rumbled affectionately, "Don't talk with your mouth full, and tell Anna thank you."

Natsu's cheeks puffed out as he huffed and considered biting Igneel's claw, but he decided it wasn't worth the fight. He swallowed before turning to Anna, "Thanks." He mumbled, "It's good."

Anna looked positively delighted at the correction, and Igneel looked way too pleased with himself. Natsu resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Instead he busied himself with his sweet roll and chewed noisily with his mouth closed.

The correction made them both hopeful, and the two adults shared a look between themselves that Natsu didn't miss.

A flare of suspicion rose in him as Igneel lumbered towards Natsu and bent at his foreclaws towards him.

"I have a proposition for you Natsu," Igneel rumbled, "only if you should chose it."

Natsu slowed his bites down, his tongue flicking up to catch crumbs on his chin. _I'm listening_.

"Yeah?" Natsu asked, his eyes rounding out with an innocence he didn't have to work too hard at faking.

Igneel's claw turned towards Natsu, and the little demon almost jumped when a flush of fire erupted from his great palm.

Sweat prickled at Natsu's forehead and he watched Igneel warily, wondering if maybe he had finally been caught in his lie. Faking that he had no memories of his time as End wasn't as easy as it looked.

"Easy hatchling, I know the flames frighten you, but it doesn't have to be that was," Igneel gave him a sympathetic look.

Calmness began to sink back into Natsu, his heart slowing down.

Fear the fire? Ridiculous, how could he ever fear his destructive might? Natsu dutifully ignored the part of his brain that seemed to perk up hesitantly at Igneel's words.

A memory long ago, of flames dropping down from the sky and burning him alive, peeling away flesh and muscle of his humanity until nothing but the blackened soul of a demon remained.

Natsu shivered a little at the memory and Igneel brought his head down to his level and gently nudged him with his nose.

"A dragon has no fear of his element." The dragon rumbled softly, "It cannot hurt him. It's his food and his power. And the ability to harness an element as a dragon would is something that can be learned."

Natsu's eyes widened in shocked awe that was in no way faked. Was Igneel really offering him what he thought he was? His heart pounded, mostly in excitement, but for that one part of him he was trying to ignore, hope surged just as strongly.

"It can?" He breathed, and Igneel nodded.

"It can." He confirmed, "And I would be willing to teach you. If you want to learn."

He was. Igneel was _actually_ offering to teach him the dragon arts! Natsu's head spun. Why would Igneel even _consider_ teaching him such a thing? Even if they were positive their plan had worked they should've still been wary of him! And teaching him how to slay a dragon should've been the last thing on their minds!

But it wasn't. The offer was sincere. He could tell that. Igneel truly wanted to teach him.

Natsu's mouth worked for a moment, but no sound came out of it, and Igneel chuckled at the sight before he pulled back a little and sat up.

"So what do you think hatchling?" He rumbled with a grin, "Will you learn from the Mighty Igneel?"

The last was said with a bit of a roar and a pose that had Natsu squeaking out a laugh, "Yeah!" He exclaimed excitedly before he could stop himself, and laughed when Igneel puffed out a fire ring, "Teach me! Please! I wanna learn it all!"

And he really did. Learning this magic would make Igneel even easier to destroy when the time came.

He dutifully tried to ignore the part of him that was genuinely impressed and excited over the prospect.

He was no fool though. Tactically, it was a huge risk Igneel would be undertaking to teach Natsu magic which could destroy him.

There were whispers of a black dragon, similar to that of himself. Once human now a dragon, taught in the art of slaying.

Just whispers and tall tales, but Natsu knew it was possible Igneel was banking on Natsu learning all this.

He was young now, in an untrained magical body. Draconian artes had a very unique and powerful set of rules, and Natsu knew that all magic came with a cost. He would be changed in some unpredictable way.

Perhaps Igneel was counting on the instincts of a dragon blooming in Natsu. The urge to protect his nest at all costs. In which case, the plan was genius.

But Natsu was confident he could beat Igneel and the effects this strange magic could have on him. No matter what cunning plot he was secretly harboring, Natsu would unravel them all.

Or so he told himself as he stumbled excitedly to Igneels hind leg and tried to climb onto the scaled appendage.

"When do we learn! When do we learn!" Natsu crowed happily, small hands trying to grip onto slippery scales.

Anna let out a tinkling laugh. It sounded like chimes in the wind, and Natsu huffed happily at the nice noise she made.

Who said he couldn't have fun while he planned their demise?

But a smile, genuine and warm began to curl his mouth into something more open.

* * *

"FIRE DRAGON SWORD HORN!" Natsu bellowed as he dove for the rock Igneel had challenged him to break, pouring as much magic into the attack as he could, only to let out a yelp of pain as his head impacted painfully with the evil stone again.

"Awwwww..." He whined pitifully, gripping his head, "This dumb rock's never gonna break!"

"It will my boy." Igneel chuckled fondly as he breathed a small fireball at Natsu, "I know one of these days you'll do it."

"Yeah. When I'm a hundred years old maybe." Natsu grumbled sulkily, but dove into the fire eagerly. Igneel's was just the best and there was no way he was passing it up.

"Much sooner than that I think." Igneel smirked and gently nuzzled Natsu, "Most dragonslayers take twice as long to learn any attacks at all. You're doing very well." He grinned at the way Natsu wrapped his arms around his horn and nudged him a little, "But let's leave off training for a while hm? I have a surprise for you."

Natsu blinked a little as he stood up, his momentary pain forgotten in the wake of that news, "What is it?!" He asked eagerly, bouncing a little in place, "Is it a cool new move? Is it something new Anna brought to eat?"

Igneel snorted in amusement and pulled back a little, "Well why don't we go back to the nest and you can find out?" He grinned, holding out his foreclaw so Natsu could climb on, "And if you like, later today I'll take you flying. Would you like that?"

"Yeah!" Natsu cried enthusiastically, ignoring the part of himself that was grumbling that he shouldn't want to go flying with the dragon. He was still the enemy, and he had wings of his own even if he couldn't access them right now.

The rest of Natsu didn't really care. Flying was flying, and Igneel was fun to fly with. The big dragon liked to do loops and stuff when they flew even if Anna scolded them for it later.

Igneel chuckled as he put Natsu up on his head and trotted back to their nest where Natsu got the surprise of his life.

The area around the firepit had been thoroughly decorated. Probably by that weird servant spirit of Anna's, Virgo if Natsu remembered right, and a giant banner that read 'Happy Birthday!' had been hung between a couple of trees.

Natsu leaned over the edge of Igneels claw, his eyes soaking in everything as they trailed down over the banner. A knot formed in his throat, shallow breaths forming in his chest.

"What is it?" Natsu found himself asking, even if he knew quite clearly it was a birthday party. He shoved Igneels claw away and scooted down his forehead to sit on top of the dragon's snout.

He turned to look at the dragons big eyes.

"Is... is this for me?" He asked in a quiet voice.

Igneel gave Natsu a very soft look that had him swallowing down a part of his own tongue.

"Of course it is Natsu. This is the day we found you. This is your birthday," Igneel said kindly.

Natsu's fingers slid through the grooves of Igneel's scales, his cheeks warming happily.

Demons didn't know kindness. It was strange and wrong and he just didn't understand it.

But Igneel gave it freely. Exposed his weaknesses like a bleeding heart and placed it in the hands of his enemy.

The demons rage sizzled away, just giving voice to a grateful child who was scared of a world he didn't understand.

But so very happy to have a father

Natsu wrapped his arms around Igneels snout, "thank you dad."

The words came out of him before he could stop them, genuine and truthful.

Igneel rumbled softly, a sound that Natsu knew by now was one of pure affection, and gently caressed the back of his claws over Natsu's back, "I'm glad you like it Natsu."

His voice was thick with an emotion that Natsu couldn't identify, but that made him instinctively grip the dragon's snout a little tighter for a long moment before Igneel shifted and gently lowered him down to ground level, "Would you like to open your presents first?"

Presents? He had presents? He'd never gotten a gift before. Not like this. A lump of emotion formed in his throat and all he could do was nod mutely as he tried not to sniffle and cry. Igneel smiled affectionately at him while Anna walked over and rubbed her fingers through his hair and handed him a brightly wrapped package that looked very squishy.

"This one is from your father." She murmured with a smile, "He made it himself, with a little help."

Natsu felt his eyes sting at the very thought Igneel had actually spent time to hand make something for him and he scrubbed at them irritably before tearing into the gift. His breath caught moments later as he beheld a soft scarf of the purest white he'd ever seen made to look like dragon scales.

"It's so cool!" He blurted, his hands shaking a little as he held it up and he felt Igneel curl up around him from behind.

"It's tradition among dragons that hatchlings are gifted with an item created from their parents scales when they hatch." He rumbled softly, "Usually it's a blanket or something else soft for them to nest in, but I thought you'd find a scarf more useful."

Natsu looked up at Igneel with watery eyes, the part of him that was End completely drowned out under the avalanche of emotion tearing through him, and the dragon smiled.

"I enchanted it with all the usual protections of the fire dragons." He continued, and Natsu could tell he wasn't the only one affected, "Plus a few extra. It'll never wear and it'll protect you. I hope you like it... son."

Natsu's breath hitched at the easy way Igneel had reciprocated his earlier slip of his tongue. He hadn't made a fuss out of it, but...

Son?

Natsu whined in the back of his throat, slipping the scarf around his shoulders three times so the tips of it wouldn't drag on the ground.

It was his. A gift. Something so precious, Natsu couldn't help but hold it as close to his chest as possible. The scarf was warm, imbued with Igneel's warmth.

"Thank you," Natsu mumbled into his scarf. His small hands were buried in it, happily looking at Ignee-

No, he stopped himself. It was hesitant, the words brimming in his mind. Could he give up his rage for the dragon who robbed him of his throne and power?

The answer came immediately.

Yes. He could.

Natsu never wanted to return to Tartaros.

He wanted to stay here, in the nest with Igneel and Anna whenever she visited.

He wanted to stay with his father.

And he wanted to do better. To be worth being called the son of Igneel.

Anna knelt next to him as he and Igneel stared at each other and gently ran her hand down his back. An action that proved one too many as Natsu suddenly burst into tears, unable to contain the emotions running through him anymore.

He felt Anna pull him into her arms and start rocking him soothingly while Igneel scooted closer, providing a steady warmth at his back in the closest thing to a hug his father could give him. But it was enough. Oh, it was more than enough.

Time stopped for a while as he cried out everything he was feeling. But by the time he was done, and Anna was gently drying his eyes, he felt oddly better. As if he'd cried something _out_ of himself, and he felt lighter now. It was a weird feeling.

"Better son?" Igneel asked gently, and Natsu sniffled as he nodded and threw his arms around his father's snout.

"Thanks dad." He murmured, "I'm sorry I cried all over your present."

Igneel chuckled softly, "Your scarf will withstand much more than a few tears hatchling. Never fear." He gently nudged Natsu towards the rest of the party, "Now, are you hungry? Or would you like to open the gifts from Anna and her daughter?"

Natsu blushed a little at the mention of Anna's daughter. He'd met the girl once, and had found her very annoying. She'd followed him around like a lost puppy when all he'd wanted to do was train, and had not stopped nattering at him. He'd growled sulkily at her after a while, and had made her cry. Why she would make a present for him now was beyond him.

Though he supposed his grumpy apology after their parents found out might've had something to do with it. Girls were really weird.

"I-..." Natsu shot a look at Anna, unsure what was the proper response. After all she was the one giving him a gift. But at the same time, he wasn't sure he could handle more presents.

He had always liked having _things_.

Material items, baubles, shiny trinkets. Natsu had a lust for those items which had only been exacerbated by his learning dragon magic.

But presents?

Someone giving him something without him having to steal it by force? It was almost enough to make a bubble of emotion rise back to the surface.

"Is... is she here?" Natsu asked shyly, "Lucy?"

Anna stared at Natsu in mild surprise. After the one and only meeting between him and Lucy she and Igneel had decided to give Natsu a little longer to adjust to his new life before introducing outside elements again. He was still a demon after all, and his whole life had been turned upside down.

"Do you want to see her?" Anna asked gently, and smiled a little as Natsu awkwardly bobbed his head, his blush growing.

"She made me a present." Natsu mumbled into his new scarf, "But I was mean to her. I don't get it." He looked at his father, "Are all girls that weird?"

Igneel traded an amused glance with Anna and nodded, "They tend to be yes." He chuckled, "Females of any species are strange to us males." He nuzzled Natsu softly, "But I think in this case she just wanted to be nice."

Nice. There was that weird concept again. Demons weren't nice. At least, not the demons he dealt with. And he really didn't understand why Lucy had wanted to be nice after he'd growled at her. But he _did_ kind of want to see her. To thank her for the present she'd given him. Even if he couldn't understand why.

Anna smiled and rubbed his head a little, "If you want to see Lucy, we could easily pack everything up and take a trip to visit. Or I could bring her by to play tomorrow?"

Natsu considered her question, his small hands curling fistfuls of his new scarf in his fingers. He thought hard about what to do.

Hadn't he wanted to do better?

He supposed normally he wouldn't care if Lucy was around or not...

But parties, especially birthday parties were more fun when there were other people.

"Can we go get her?" Natsu asked, instead of his usual demands.

Igneel gave Anna a surprised look over his head, but his maw split into a fangy smile

"I don't see why not Natsu, just be mindful of the villagers," Igneel reminded him, "Humans are not as durable as you are, so you must take care."

"I'll be careful!" Natsu protested, his foot flailing out and digging into the ground, "I'll be SO careful!"

And he wasn't going to open his gift either until Lucy was there to see it!

Anna laughed softly at his antics and nodded, "I believe you will." She pulled out one of her gold keys and slashed it through the air, "Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

"You called Mistress?" Virgo asked as she appeared with a bow.

"Could you help us pack everything up Virgo?" Anna asked with a smile, "The birthday boy has decided he wants to celebrate with a visit to my daughter."

There was a faint flicker of emotion in Virgo's eyes that could almost be called surprise before she bowed again, "Of course Mistress. Give me a moment."

Natsu watched in awe as Virgo began zipping all around the decorations and food at a speed that boggled his mind. He'd seen her in action before of course, but that had been during a fight. He'd never imagined she could move so fast, and he couldn't help wondering why she'd never done it on the battlefield.

Maybe it had something to do with cleaning?

Whatever the case, it didn't take long before everything was neatly packed away.

"All done Mistress. Shall I carry everything back through the gate until you're ready for it again?"

"Thank you Virgo, that would be very helpful." Anna replied, and turned her attention to Natsu as Virgo vanished with everything, "Are you ready to go?"

Natsu smiled a little at her and nodded, "Yeah."

* * *

 _ **Years Later**_

Natsu let out a cry as a blur of blond hair and giggles absolutely slammed into him from the sky. He groaned around a ponytail, growling some uncomplimentary things under his breath.

"Lucy," he whined pathetically, "get off me!"

This only caused her to grind his cheek into the ground with her fat butt as she let out a scoffing noise.

"No way!" She said firmly, "Natsu you promised you'd come with me to explore Igneel's hoard!"

"Ugh, but why. It's not that interesting," Natsu grumbled, having lived in it for several years now and not seeing the thrall it seemed to have over his friend.

"Yes it is!" She protested, crossing her legs and uncaring of how Natsu seemed to be crawling forward at the pace of a snail.

"Dragons are rare and their treasure is incredible!" Lucy sighed dreamily, "Igneel already gave me permission to explore, but I need your help! I'll get lost if you don't come!"

Groaning again, Natsu pulled himself upright as if puppeteered by her words.

"Fine fine," Natsu couldn't smother his smile despite his pouting, "But you're gonna sneak me some of your mom's sweets!"

"Deal!" Lucy agreed eagerly and hopped up to pull a bag out of her tunic with a wicked grin, "I had brought this to share, but if you're going to insist on a bribe..."

Natsu groaned a little, unable to shake the feeling he'd been suckered. Lucy obviously knew that he wouldn't hog the whole bag, and had also obviously known what his demand would be if he was uncooperative. Sneaky girl. He sometimes had to wonder if she was part demoness. Or maybe she'd just been hanging around him for too long?

That thought amused him a little. Even as a kid he could corrupt humans still.

At least she wasn't getting mad that he'd demanded a price for a trip he'd already promised her. The first few times had been painful until Anna had told her to think of it as a contract, and she couldn't very well expect Natsu to have a one-sided contract could she?

That had been the moment Natsu had decided Anna was _way_ scarier than he'd ever thought.

He took the bag with a roll of his eyes and grinned as he grabbed her hand, "C'mon then!"

He couldn't help grinning at her wild giggling as he led her to the entrance of the hoard. Obviously this was a big adventure for her, and despite himself her enthusiasm was contagious.

"Look!" He grinned as he showed her the secret entrance, "This is how you get in!"

His arm sank into what appeared to be a solid stone surface. A glamour flickered away from the wall face, leaving nothing but an opening large enough to fit a dragon.

He shone a wide smile at Lucy and how excited she looked before he dragged her inside.

They giggled and laughed, exploring the tallest points of Igneel's nest until they were both exhausted. Together they found a comfortable spot in mounds of creamy satins and silks to stretch out their legs.

Natsu dropped the sack between them and opened it. He grinned at Lucy as they dug in together and began to eat.

It turned out that Natsu's appetite had grown as a result of the magic he learned, and was now capable of putting away a huge amount of food.

Still he waited patiently for Lucy to have her fill before he attacked the bag and whatever was left.

They sat there, chattering together, waiting for their parents to come back home.

When the time came though, Anna was the only one to show up.

"Where's Igneel?" Natsu asked worriedly as he glanced around for his father, "Is he outside?"

Anna sighed, looking tired, and more than a little bruised as she knelt in front of the children, "Igneel's with the sky dragoness Grandine." She replied, "A dragonslayer named Acnologia attacked one of the fire nests, and Igneel rushed to help them. He managed to chase Acnologia off, but not before getting hurt."

Natsu's eyes widened in horror and then narrowed in fury, reminiscent of his time as End. He was going to tear Acnologia limb from limb for that! But first he had to make sure his father was alright with his own eyes.

"I have to get to him." He growled, "Anna, can you take me to him?"

Anna nodded, "Metallicana's waiting outside to take us there." She hugged Natsu briefly, "He's going to be fine Natsu. I promise."

Natsu wasn't so sure about that. He'd heard whispers of Acnologia before the age reversal, and hearing that the black dragon was getting bold enough to attack a nest in broad daylight was extremely worrying. However, he just nodded and let Anna lead him out to the large metal dragon waiting.

That, and the tightness in Anna's eyes. The forced smile that would fool a child, but not a demon.

There was something wrong.

* * *

Since coming back from the sky healer, Igneel had been very tired. They were now back at their nest, but something still didn't seem right.

The way Igneel looked at him, it was as if he were very sad. Natsu pressed his cheek against his father's snout and made a soft whining noise.

"Dad, are you ok?" Natsu asked, his eyes wide and inquisitive.

Igneel huffed out a tired laugh and nodded, closing his eyes, "Of course I am Natsu."

But there was something guarded in his eyes. Natsu sensed there was a secret. Since his attack, Igneel would leave for long stretches of time, sometimes with Anna and sometimes with other dragons.

He didn't understand what they were planning, but it sent a coil of fear and caution in his gut.

"But dad-"

"Natsu," Igneel cut him off before he could start whining in earnest. His yellow eye flicked to his son, and Natsu bit his bottom lip in a sullen show that he was listening.

"I am very proud of you son," Igneel rumbled, no doubt taking Natsu by surprise.

"I always have been, and I always will be." He smiled a little and nudged his worried hatchling, "Now don't worry about me. You're not going to get rid of me that easily."

Natsu whined a little anyway. The words might've assured a child, but they did nothing to soothe _his_ fears at all. Something was definitely very wrong, but unless he revealed he wasn't as much a child as he'd led them to believe there was no way he would find out what. And even revealing himself might not work if he wasn't believed or worse.

Caught between a rock and a hard place he sighed as he tightened his grip on his father a little more. He'd give it another day or two. If he couldn't find out what was going on in that time he'd confront Igneel and let him know he still remembered his time as End.

For better or worse it might be the only way to protect his father.

Decided on his course of action, Natsu determinedly climbed up on Igneel's head. He wasn't going to let his father go until he had his answers, and it wasn't like he hadn't slept on some portion of Igneel before.

Igneel just chuckled at his antics, and gently shifted into a sleeping position so Natsu could get comfortable, "Sleep my son. It will be alright. And always remember, I love you."

Natsu didn't even question why his eyelids suddenly felt so heavy as he dropped off to a deep sleep. Warm scales were comforting and present under his hand, and Natsu smiled dreamily as the world fell away.

* * *

Natsu woke up on the ground. It was cold and hard and...

He blinked drowsily, shoving himself upright, his nose sniffing in the air and slowly pushing himself up to his feet.

"Igneel?" He called out curiously, looking around the strange clearing he found himself in.

Where was he?

There was no sign of his nest or father. Had Igneel carried him somewhere and gone to get something to eat? His father had done it before.

But there was no scent of Igneel in the air, which told Natsu he had been gone for quite sometime

Huffing in annoyance, Natsu flopped down on the ground to wait for his dad to get back. His dad had better teach him something good today for making him wait! Although secretly he was pleased if it meant Igneel was well enough to wander off. Maybe he _was_ getting better?

That thought sustained Natsu all through the morning and early afternoon, but as the shadows began to lengthen and his stomach began to cramp painfully with hunger he slowly began to realize that something was very wrong. Igneel never took this long hunting, and he certainly wouldn't have left him alone without at least a fire to eat if he got hungry.

His heart clenched in horror as he suddenly wondered if this was what had been bothering Igneel so much lately. Had... had his dad planned this?

The thought hurt. Very badly. And it didn't stop there no. The little voice inside him that was still End hissed that Igneel had abandoned him here, and the very idea had him choking on tears.

He'd been a good son hadn't he? He'd tried really hard. He'd given up his rage and thoughts of revenge to be one. To be part of their weird little nest. And he'd opened himself in a way no demon ever had to his knowledge.

Had it not been enough? Had _he_ not been good enough?

 _"I'm very proud of you."_

The words from the night before rang in his ears as he sniffled into his scarf, and though he still hurt they brought a measure of calm and comfort to him.

Igneel was many things but he'd never been a liar. Maybe he'd kept things from him at the end, but he'd never _lied_ about it. And really, the rational side of him reminded him that to Igneel he was a little kid. Adults simply didn't tell kids some things.

So if Igneel had said he was proud... then he was proud.

And if Igneel had been proud of him then he couldn't have been a bad son that Igneel would abandon right?

And if he wasn't a bad son, then that meant something else had happened!

The thought galvanized him as he swallowed the last of his hurt. Something else must've happened. He was sure of it. Maybe Acnologia had found their little nest and attacked. Maybe Igneel really _had_ gone hunting and something had happened. Whatever it was, it was clear his dad was in _s_ ome kind of trouble, and would need help.

And since Anna was nowhere around that meant it was up to him.

He swallowed down his tears, choked them back into his chest and glared up at the sun. He was going to find Igneel! No matter how long it took, he would be reunited with his dad!

Brushing himself off, Natsu stomped into the woods, ready to make some changes. He would continue to be good and make Igneel proud. So whenever he finally found his dad, he would be sure to tell him everything he missed.

* * *

 _ **And that's it for the main bulk of Sovereign! Stay tuned for the final chapter and its epilogue! Hope you guys enjoyed it and let us know what you think! Also let us know if you like the idea of us sharing some of our half-finished ideas with you. We have several fics that are unfinished, but can be made into smaller little ficlets, so just let us know what you think!**_


	3. Leader

**Hello everyone! Here is the last and final chapter of Sovereign! We hope you all enjoyed this little adventure we've all gone on! Until our next story!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3**

 _ **Leader**_

" _The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things."_

― _Ronald Reagan_

* * *

It turned out for Natsu, meeting up with Igneel was easier said than done.

A whole _hell_ of a lot of time had mysteriously passed, which cemented his concerns that something very, very wrong had happened.

The time periods were so alarmingly different, Natsu suspected Igneel may have attempted to tamper with his memories again if this jump into the future had been planned. But all in all, Natsu was completely flying blind.

At first he thought it was weird, all the strange clothes he saw people wearing, the vehicles that rumbled down the road in place if wagons, and the growth of towns and villages into entire cities.

It was only when someone bumped into him and began to speak, did Natsu understand fully that something wasn't right.

He couldn't understand the language.

It was only by luck he made it to a magical guild that took him in and began to teach him. Those were skills he readily had to know to find Igneel. So while the guild made a good rest stop, that was really all that it was.

At least, that's how he'd meant it to be.

But there was something weird about Fairy Tail. They kept pushing and invading his space and caring about him. Alright so Erza and Mirajane were terrifying, especially Erza since she didn't have the scent of a demoness about her, and Gray was annoying, but the others weren't so bad. Lisanna was kind of nice, though he really missed Lucy's bolder personality, and the others were fun to wrestle with or talk to.

Levy he especially liked. She'd taught him how to speak the modern language more than the adults ever did. And she was less terrifying than Erza.

And slowly, against his will, they kind of started to grow on him. They accepted him, weird accent, lack of language skills and all, and went out of their way to play with him when he wasn't working or learning. It was nice in a way he'd never experienced before, and as the adventures piled on he found himself thinking that maybe when he found his dad Igneel wouldn't mind sticking around Fairy Tail too.

As the years crept on, Natsu never stopped looking for his dad. Dragons lived impossibly long lives and he refused to believe Igneel was just gone.

That was how he found himself in Hargeon, chasing down another lead to where Igneel could have been. He didn't travel alone though, accompanied by his best friend, Happy.

He was kind of a scaredy cat sometimes, but he was really smart and helpful. Even if he was a brat that would let trains take Natsu away.

Happy didn't know Natsu's secret though. More and more, it seemed less important for him to tell people he was a demon. Most people didn't know who or what End even was. The demons of Zeref had fallen into obscurity. So much time had gone by Natsu wasn't even sure what happened anymore.

Tartaros was just a whisper.

Being a demon didn't seem to matter anymore.

But that didn't change the shreds of guilt he felt for all the crimes he committed in the past. There was no way he could ever fully redeem himself, but that just meant he had a lot of good work he had to do in the meantime.

He would confess everything to Igneel when he found him.

His attention perked at the sound of girls squealing nearby, the chanting of "Salamander!" Spurring him on.

Of course, 'Salamander' turned out to be some puffed up poser that probably couldn't properly light a match let alone produce the kind of fire worthy of the dragon king.

Being disappointed over that, however, turned out to be somewhat hazardous to his health if the way the poser's screaming females wanted to tear him apart for not being instantly enamored was any indication. By the time the creep left he was convinced that he would never understand girls.

"That guy was a real creep." A feminine voice said, interrupting his thoughts and prompting him to look up, "Thanks for your help!"

It was like looking into the past.

That was the only thought that beat through his head as he stared at that bright smile. Somehow, it was her. Down to the hair, and the way she smelled.

"Here, let me help you." She went on and held out a hand to help him up, "I really don't know what would've happened if you hadn't come along when you did. Is there anything I can do to thank you two?"

Natsu opened his mouth and tried to speak, but words would not form as he drank in the sight of his best friend standing before him in this strange era, and looking more beautiful than he'd ever dreamed she could be.

"Uh..." He tried, but just then his stomach gave a loud growl, and he flushed a little as she giggled.

"Alright. How about some lunch then?" She grinned, "I passed by a place earlier."

"Hrk?" Natsu managed to squeak out lamely in reply, not quite understanding what was happening.

The girl gave him a strange look, squinting at him from under a fringe of blond hair in such a familiar way.

He got up to his feet and followed her, dazed but very happy.

When she brought him into a restaurant, he took a moment to really get a good look at her. Something in him loosened.

There were some differences, now that he was paying attention. The shape of the eyes were a little different, as was the curve of her cheeks. But aside from that it was like sitting in the past.

 _Lucy_

Homesickness ached in his chest, but he let out a loose huff as he smiled at her, "My name is Natsu Dragneel." He introduced himself.

"And I'm Happy!" Happy chirped from where he was perched on Natsu's shoulder.

"My name's Lucy!" The girl laughed, unaware of how Natsu's heart stuttered in his chest, "It's nice to meet you both!"

She opened the door to the restaurant, and cheerfully followed the waitress to a table where she ordered a sundae for herself, and gave Natsu and Happy free reign on whatever else they wanted. An action that proved to be something of a mistake as Natsu's appetite made itself forcefully known. Still, she didn't seem to mind too much, and Natsu was resolved to pay her back anyway.

It was the least he could do for someone who was _clearly_ a reminder of his past.

Especially with the way she talked. He had to bite back the urge to laugh as she chattered about being a wizard and guilds and how much she wanted to join one particular one. A fact that had his chest puffing out a little with pride since there was only _one_ guild that was regularly featured in Sorcerer Weekly.

"You're talking about Fairy Tail aren't you?" He grinned, enjoying the way that surprised her enough to stop her talking.

"I... well yes." Lucy stuttered, and smiled a little dreamily, "They're so cool. I just can't imagine a guild I'd rather be part of! Not even Phantom Lord is as much fun sounding!"

Natsu snorted a laugh, "That's 'cause those Phantom jerks don't know how to have a good time." He replied and cocked his head, "But if you really wanna join Fairy Tail that bad I can introduce you."

"What? You?!" Lucy exclaimed, "But..."

Natsu shrugged off his jacket to reveal his Fairy Tail symbol, "I'm already a member." He explained as he pulled his jacket back on, "What do you say?"

Natsu winced when a rush of air escaped Lucy and in her excitement babbled something he couldn't quite make out. It sounded similar to "ohmahgoshyesthatsoundsamazingwouldyoureallydothat?"

It took him a moment to decipher it, chewing around a mouthful of food crammed in his throat.

He looked at Happy, "weird."

"Aye" Happy confirmed.

Natsu could see a spark of anger in those brown eyes, but grinned and cut her off before that typical Heartfilia temper could overthrow the table.

"Yeah let me help you move! Fairy Tail is the best, and they'll love to have a Mage like you!" Natsu said enthusiastically, blowing right by her annoyance. Lucy looked a little confused but she seemed to adapt quickly.

"Thank you," She gushed happily, "Oh my God I can't believe I'm going to be in Fairy tail! It's like a dream come true!"

Natsu grinned broadly at her, thrilled that he'd made her so happy, and quickly polished off the rest of his food before getting up, "Well c'mon! Let's go!"

"Oh, but... don't you have a job here in town?" Lucy hesitated as the thought suddenly occurred to her, "I don't want to keep you from it."

"Nah, don't worry!" Natsu assured her, holding his hand out to her, "I'm not on a job right now. I was looking for Igneel."

"Who's Igneel?" Lucy asked in confusion, though she readily let him pull her to her feet.

"Igneel's a fire dragon!" Happy chirped as he stuffed his backpack with the leftover fish, "We thought maybe Salamander might be him, so we came to check!"

"Yeah, but that wasn't him." Natsu huffed, "Poser probably can't even eat fire..."

Lucy stared at them blankly for a long moment as she processed that, "You were expecting to find a fire dragon in the middle of town?!"

Natsu blinked and opened his mouth only to freeze as it suddenly dawned on him that Lucy was absolutely right. A dragon being anywhere near any town would've been front page news. Never mind a vague rumor for him to follow.

"Ahhhhhhh..." He replied a little stupidly as he scrambled to regain his mental footing.

"I guess you're right," Natsu sulked, looking a little put out with Lucy's logic. Still, it sucked to have to have her put a firm stop to his ploys.

He really wanted to be able to find Igneel.

But finding Lucy was almost as good! He wondered vaguely if it was a family name, and if they passed the name down the line every other generation.

They walked to the front door and pushed it open, heading back into the hot sun. A crisp sea breeze fluttered by them and Natsu sighed in welcome delight.

"Alright then," Lucy said hesitantly as she brought up the rear with happy. She was beginning to look a little worried over suddenly venturing off with a strange boy and his talking blue cat.

"Are you sure this is okay?" She asked hesitantly, her unimpressed eyes raking over him a few times as if doubting her good fortune. Natsu grinned at her, brushing off her skepticism.

He wasn't offended by her disbelief, after all Fairy Tail was notorious around the kingdom of Fiore.

They were practically celebrities.

Even if he wondered if he should be offended that he apparently didn't _look_ the part of a powerful mage. Well, with pink hair, a frumpy jacket and a cat as a companion, he supposed he wasn't exactly screaming 'badass.'

"It'll be fine." He assured her, "Gramps isn't real big on formal. You could probably head to Magnolia on your own and just show up and ask to join you know." He grinned, "It'd be cool to have a celestial wizard in the guild. It's not real often you meet one."

Lucy's eyes widened a little comically, as if she'd never considered just _showing up_ at Fairy Tail and asking to join. The look had Natsu biting back a small laugh. What did she think they did? Demand an initiation or something?

Although, he supposed he couldn't entirely fault her. Some guilds were weird about stuff like that.

Lucy must've caught some of his amusement because she smiled and then giggled a little, "I guess I never thought of it like that." She admitted, "No one ever really talks openly about how you join magic guilds, but I've heard all kinds of crazy rumors."

She came to a stop in front of a small hotel, "This is where I was staying the night. Give me a few minutes to go get my things alright?"

Natsu nodded, recognizing the boundary line for what it was, and went over to flop down on a bench, "We'll just hang out here until you're done." He promised, "There's not a rush though. The next train to Magnolia isn't for a few hours."

Lucy smiled, "Better to take care of it now than have to rush later right?"

Natsu couldn't argue with that so he grinned and stretched out on the bench, "See you in a few minutes then!"

Of course no sooner had she disappeared from sight did Natsu let his thoughts wander. It was an aimless kind of pattern, and Natsu tapped his foot impatiently.

Already he was quickly growing bored.

He wished Lucy would hurry up. Natsu never did good when he was just sitting around, and he sort of wanted to just look at Lucy some more.

It was astounding to see how she had grown up. Logically he knew this couldn't be _his_ Lucy, but she looked so much like his friend from childhood...

He really couldn't help himself but stop and get a good look at her.

She really was nice to look at too if he was being perfectly honest. He would have to be completely blind not to notice.

His cheeks heated up a little at the direction his thoughts were straying. He'd been too young the last time he'd seen his Lucy to care about sex or sexuality, but he was very well educated in the particulars from his time as End, and well... he wasn't little anymore. Even if he hadn't actually done anything yet this time around.

However, lack of attention did not equal blindness, and this Lucy had grown up gorgeous. Exactly the way he expected _his_ Lucy would've. She had ample curves in all the right places, and he didn't care if she didn't quite fit the ideal for modern women. He'd lived most of his life in a different era with very different definitions of beauty. Definitions Lucy filled exactly.

He felt his cheeks getting hotter and hastily wrenched his thoughts away from Lucy's physical assets before he embarrassed himself. Or Happy noticed.

Instead, he stretched out his senses in a sort of half meditation Anna had tried to teach him to see what he could pick up. The effect was immediately soothing and distracting as he listened to the birds and tried to eavesdrop on a conversation a little ways down.

Of course, no sooner had he gotten thoroughly into it than the hotel door opened and Lucy stepped back out looking very pleased with herself.

"They refunded me most of my money since I decided not to stay the night, and only had my bag here for a couple hours." She announced happily, "That means I can afford a place when we get to Magnolia!"

"Awesome!" Natsu replied excitedly as he jumped up, thrilled to no longer be bored and to be able to look at her again.

Even if she wasn't his Lucy, she was pretty close, and he was more than willing to make friends with a new generation of Heartfilia.

His grin spread in dangerous degrees and he stepped forward a couple of inches, "Now Lucy, you mind if we take a detour?"

She gave him a somewhat guarded look, not lured in by his easy smile. Smart girl, he thought with some approval. It was definitely wise not to trust Natsu when he was grinning.

But she didn't know that.

"Okay?" She hesitated.

"Good!" Natsu grabbed her hand between his palms and pumped her arm up and down in his excitement. She pulled it back a moment later, as if afraid he was going to rip it from its socket.

"Come on, there's something I need to take care of before we leave town," Natsu smiled at her brightly, got behind Lucy and began to guide her down the street.

Now Lucy wasn't an idiot. She didn't typically follow strange men she had just met to weird locations without being prepared. And when Natsu insisted on taking her to what appeared to be a shipyard, she was getting a little nervous.

He didn't seem to notice though as he leaned over the railing and squinted off into the distance.

She followed the line of his body along his spine with her eyes. He really was a kind of goofy looking guy, with none of the charm or glowing appeal she saw from sorcerer weekly magazines.

Not like Gray or Loke from Fairy Tail, both of whom were cool and charming.

He was kind of doofy, with his too big jacket and weird scarf. Was he really a member of Fairy Tail or was this some kind of hoax?

She didn't _think_ it was a hoax. After all, what were the odds that Natsu would have a fake Fairy Tail guild mark on his shoulder for the express purpose of luring her away? It seemed pretty farfetched. However, she hadn't survived a year as a runaway without keeping her wits about her, and despite her trusting nature her natural suspicion kept her from trusting him completely until they walked into the Fairy Tail guild hall.

Still, for now she was game to go along with whatever it was he had in mind. It wasn't like she was helpless after all, and she was pretty sure she could handle anything he might want to dish out. And even if she couldn't Taurus would be more than happy to.

Besides, he hadn't really done anything uncomfortable or threatening, and she had to admit that he was kind of fun to be around even if he was kind of doofy.

"So what are we doing?" She asked curiously as he scanned the ships, "I thought we were going to take the train?"

"We are." Natsu replied somewhat absently, "But I overheard someone talking about Salamander's ship before you came out." His expression darkened a little, "Apparently he's claiming to be a member of Fairy Tail."

"Well... he is isn't he?" Lucy asked in confusion, "Everyone's heard of Salamander. He's famous for causing destruction on his jobs."

Natsu made a non-committal noise under his breath, his eyes narrowed onto the ships docked below, "I want a good look at his face."

"What's to question?" Lucy asked, frowning a bit, "the guy is definitely a creep though. He was using charm magic on all those girls to get them to like him."

"But he uses fire magic, and that's some pretty rare stuff. You can't even buy it in a magic shop!" Lucy turned towards Natsu, curious over why he was being so quiet.

Only to realize the little jerk was gone already.

"Why are you talking to yourself?" Happy asked with a cloying smirk. Lucy's cheeks burned red as she spotted Natsu further ahead, having hopped the railing.

"Natsu!" Lucy hissed. She groaned as he went on without hearing her. She scrambled up over the railing after him, making sure to keep her skirt covering her rear as much as possible.

She managed to make it down the slope into the sandy beach where Natsu was shaking out his sandals.

"What're you doing?" She hissed at him.

"Getting a closer look, duh Lucy." he gave her an annoyed look, "Weren't you paying attention? Jeez."

"You're the one that ran off without me!" Lucy hissed at him. Natsu's eyes vacantly lifted to the sky.

"Did I?"

Lucy gaped at him, but Natsu sat up attentively as he caught sight of Salamander ordering his men around. Lucy sneered a little in disgust, because that man was nothing if not a puffed shirt and showboat. To think Fairy Tail would have a slime ball like that in their guild. It was almost disappointing.

"Hurry up!" Salamander ordered imperiously, "I want everything perfect for when the girls arrive! And make sure the drinks are properly dosed this time!"

"Yes boss." One of the men grunted even as Lucy's eyes widened in horror.

"He's drugging the drinks?!" She hissed furiously, "What kind of scum does that?"

Was this really what Fairy Tail was really like? Pulling scams and drugging innocent people? The very thought horrified her, and suddenly she wasn't at all eager to join the guild she'd admired since she was little.

Natsu didn't reply. He'd vanished again, and he'd taken Happy with him this time.

She scowled a little as she looked around, trying to figure out where they'd gone and what she was supposed to do now, only to jump a mile as she suddenly felt a rough pair of hands grab her.

She squeaked in surprise as she struggled against them, putting all the self defense she knew to use, but it didn't do any good as she was tightly bound by another set of hands and thrown over a meaty shoulder.

"Dunno what you're doing skulking around here before the party." A man that had to be one of Salamander's goons grunted, "But you ain't leaving until you see the boss."

Lucy's heart sank as she renewed her struggles, but it was no use and in moments she was being hauled onto the ship like cargo and dumped in front of Salamander. Oh this could not be good. Tied up in front of a guy she _knew_ was planning to drug women at his party, and no Natsu or Happy in sight?

Had this all been a trap? Fresh horror dawned onto Lucy at the very thought. Have Natsu lure in girls with promises of joining their guild with his bright smile and innocent appearance.

Seriously with a dopey looking guy like that, anyone could probably tie him into a pretzel. Lucy could have kicked him into the sun without much problem she bet.

But now she was on the floor by Salamander's feet, and this was all Fairy Tail's fault.

Salamander knelt down next to Lucy, his fingers catching under her chin to tilt her head up to him.

"Such a pretty face. You'll fetch an excellent price," Salamander chuckled.

Lucy growled and jerked her head forward, smashing her forehead into his nose. Salamander let out a shout of pain as he stumbled backwards.

"My face!" He cried out, "My beautiful face!"

Lucy hissed, feet kicking out as much as they could.

"Your face isn't the only thing that's going to hurt if you don't let me go!" Lucy shouted at him.

Natsu blinked from where he and Happy were flying nearby at the sound of that indignant shout, "I think we just found our ship!"

"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed and dove for the yacht.

As soon as they were overhead Happy dropped him to break through the cabin, and nearly on top of a surprised Salamander and Lucy. A Salamander that had what looked like a broken nose. Had Lucy done that? Hang on...

"What're you doing here Lucy?" Natsu asked in confusion, and was treated to a classic Heartfilia death glare. The kind only used when someone had screwed up beyond redemption.

"What does it look like I'm doing here?" She demanded furiously as she struggled against her bonds, "These jerks grabbed me, tied me up, and dragged me here!"

"Yes." Salamander purred, "And you'll fetch such a lovely price when we reach Bosco."

"Like hell I will!" Lucy spat, kicking out and managing to connect with Salamander's shin enough to make him stumble.

"My, my, you _are_ a spirited one aren't you?"

Natsu found he couldn't agree more. He'd never seen his Lucy so angry before and it transformed this Lucy from beautiful to breathtaking. Not even the most attractive demoness had ever worn her rage so alluringly, and Natsu's heart thumped a little at the sight of it.

It made him wonder just what her other emotions looked like. Though he managed to keep _that_ thought to himself as he didn't want those flashing eyes directed at him again.

"Happy!" He called, "Get Lucy out of here!"

"Aye sir!" Happy cried out, swooping under Lucy's arms and plucking her up through the air. Lucy let out a shriek of confusion when they flew through the air.

Having a talking cat around was alarming enough on its own, but having a talking, _flying_ cat was almost terrifying.

Still, she didn't have time to think about that when she was picked up and brought back out through the hole Natsu had made in the roof.

"Wait! We can't just leave him in there, Salamander will rip Natsu apart!" Lucy fumbled for her keys at her belt. She had to go in there and help Natsu out! Clearly he was a wizard of some sort if he was even in Fairy Tail, but Salamander had a huge reputation of being like a freight train on his jobs.

Happy just hummed thoughtfully as he settled Lucy patiently down on the beach, squinting at her as if she were very slow.

"You keep saying that," he said in confusion, "Talking about Natsu like that? He's going to be fine y'know."

"How do you know?" Lucy protested in frustration, confused over how the cat could be so nonchalant about his friend being trapped on board a ship with a bunch of smugglers. Happy was already beginning to untie her hands.

"Natsu may be pretty dumb sometimes, but he's going to be fine," Happy grinned.

As if on cue, a tower of fire erupted from the ship, blasting out through the hole they had just come from. Lucy let out a gasp of horror as the entire ship seemed to collapse in on itself, and a streak of purple fire shot out from the bow into the beach. Salamander crash landed in the sand, looking a bit worse for wear and very pale. Lucy stood several yards away from where he was standing back up, staring up at the ship.

Just as Lucy began to grow worried, _because Natsu had been in there_ , a shadowy figure pushed logs of heavy wood off their back.

For a moment, Lucy thought she saw the glitter of red eyes, gleaming out from the heavy smoke and flames, before it cleared and Natsu stood up straight.

His eyes were normal, but were slanted with such a furious, angry intent on them, it completely transformed his face from the happy idiot he had been acting like earlier in the day.

Salamander's men all swarmed around in a confusion, advancing towards the lone mage on the ship, who was squinting at beach.

"I don't recognize your face," Natsu growled. It was like a warning, flaring deep in Lucy's chest as she watched him shrug his jacket off.

"Using the name 'Fairy Tail' for your own purpose, you're not a member of my guild!" Natsu snarled. The angry vein snaking at his temple showed the flare of his rage that seemed normally tempered by his humor. There was no laughter on his face this time though.

And when he advanced, Lucy was able to see the broad set of his shoulders, the flex of his arms, and the vest that flapped open across a muscular chest. Suddenly, she wasn't so confident in her ability to kick him into the sun.

And when fire erupted around his fists, she realized that probably wouldn't have been an effective way of dealing with him anyway.

"It's the real Salamander Bora!"

Lucy's jaw dropped as Natsu hurtled himself at the imposter, suddenly realizing with startling clarity, that the real Salamander had been traveling with her this whole time.

She watched in numb shock as Natsu tore Bora's men apart as almost collateral damage as he went after Bora with all the single minded brute strength he was known for.

The damage was, unsurprisingly, extensive.

Houses and shops along the port were blown up, and the port itself was blasted as Natsu gave Bora a very thorough beatdown.

She only half listened to Happy's cheerful explanation about the kind of magic Natsu used and how it worked, but she believed every word of it. How could she not with the evidence right in front of her? Especially with Natsu doing unbelievable things like _eating_ fire.

She didn't fully snap out of her daze until the fight was over and the army was converging on the sight, causing her to panic.

"Crap! We gotta go!" Natsu exclaimed as he grabbed her wrist and took off at a sprint.

"Where are we going?" She asked as she practically flew in his wake, more than a little alarmed at the stomping feet behind them.

"We're going to Fairy Tail of course!" Natsu laughed, turning a bright grin on her, "You still wanna join the guild right?"

Lucy's heart thumped at the sight of that grin and the way Natsu had turned out to be her _rescuer_ and she couldn't help grinning back as she started to run with him, "Yeah! You bet I do!"

Fairy Tail really _was_ as cool as she'd thought. There was no way it could be anything else. Not after what she'd just witnessed.

Natsu for his part couldn't but smile back at the laughing Lucy. Her cheeks were flushed as she ran alongside him, causing him to push back his anger to run side by side with her. He laughed, feeling for the first time like he was a normal man.

He had a new partner, and Natsu was happy to go on as many new adventures with her as he could. It was a new beginning for him, and a new beginning for her.

He took her hand, grateful for the chance Igneel had given him so long ago.

 _ **End.**_

* * *

 _ **For those curious, there were sixteen chapters pre-written for this fic before we began to write Reset. The two stories were too similar in concept, so we decided to continue with Reset and put this one aside despite how much we had written and liked the concept for this story. Reset is a large story and is currently over 40 chapters long.**_

 _ **We also had a resounding number of people who were interested in seeing more of our partially-finished fic ideas. Those will wait for now, we've got special gifts planned for Halloween (tomorrow) and a return to What's a Witch is just around the corner :D.**_

 _ **Stay tuned for more NALU goodness in our new projects! - Mslead**_


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